Method of making imitation-tile flooring.



W. F. WALLING.

METHOD 0F MAKING IMITATION TILE FLOORING.

Pafented Mar. 16, 1915.-

8 SHEETS-SHBET'I.

y APPLICATION FILED 00T, 25, 1911.

o t o a- @lll W. P. "'wALLrNG.

METHOD 0F MAKING IMITATION TILE FLOORING.

ILE T P APPLIOATIONF D Op 25 1911 PatentedMar. 16,1915.

s SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W, P. WALLING.

METHOD OF MAKING I MITATION TILE FLOORING.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

APPLICATION FILED 001125 L, l 32,502.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WILLIAM FRED WALLING', 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD or MAKINGpIMITATIoN-TILE FLOORING.

' is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of making imitation tile iooring and the like, and its object is to produce a floor, pavement or other covering of like nature in so close an imitation to actual tiling as ,to be indistinguishable therefrom by observation only.

So far as'known imitation tile iooring has not been produced prior to the present large buildings ,of public or semi-public invention, for it is the universal practice to produce tile flooring by laying upon a suitably prepared surface an assemblage of small blocks of natural or artificial `composition known as tiles, eachv block being individual, distinct and separate from every other block, and .usually of very limited superficial area7 say from a few square inches down to less than a square inch, and such tiles are commonly of conventional form, either round, triangular, square or hexagonal, although sometimes of other shapes.

The laying of what may be termed a real tile floor requires a pronounced degree of skill, the process is slow and the cost is high and there is no assurance, even when the.

floor is laid by highly skilled labor, `but that someof the tiles will loosen, since the cement used as a bed and binder is not strongly adherent to the tiles. Such loosening of the individual tiles is not only pro- -ductive of annoyance and sometimes of danbut the flooring of the vpresent invention is substantially monolithic or homogeneous throughout the entire area or throughout very large areas where -the -floor may be too extensive to admit ofits beingfinished at one time, a condition which l'might' occur vin characteror in the case of extensive roadways or plazas. Y

In carrying out the present invention the surface to be'nished is prepared with a ce- Serial No. 656,788. A

ment coating of proper characterdepending upon the desired final appearance, and then thls surface is impressed or stamped by a suitable tool or form made in the shapeof the outlines of an associated small number yof tile patterns and the stampingl is continued progressively throughout the entire Specication of Letters Patent. Patented iwal. 16, 1915. i

Application filed October 25, 1911.

area to be treated until there is ,produced a web of connected grooves covering the whole surface, or a material portion thereof if too large to betreated atv one time, the stamping or impressing being done while the surface is still in a sufficiently soft or green condition. By employing .a tool having the stamping or impressing edges tapering the portions of the tool entering the surface to be impressed will leave such surface without disturbing the walls of the grooves whichtherefore remain in a condition sensibly true and unbroken, this being due to the fact that the tapering edges at once leave the walls of the groove before the entering portions of the edges have moved more than a small fraction of the distance out of the groove, wherefore air enters the groove and prevents any suction due to the contact ofthe impressing'walls of the tool with the cement. After the grooves are formed the cement is permitted to set until hard enough to withstand the subsequent treatment to be given and then the grooves are lled with a mate'- rial of contrasting color to the color of the surfaces simulating individual tiles. The lling of the grooves may be performed by brushing over the impressed surface a suiciently thin cement or other like composition of about the consistency of paint, and then the surplus upon the surfaces inclosed by 'the grooves is scraped off without removing material from the grooves, and such material in the grooves is then permitted to set. Finally the whole surface is rubbed down in any suitable manner known in lthe art of finishing tile flooring, whereby there is left a smooth surface exhibiting conventional tile shapes throughout with sha-rp, clear cut outlines defined by narrow bands of contrasting material simulating the filling in cement employed between the edges of individually laid tiles. Even close observation cannot detect the fact that the floor so produced is practically homogeneous throughout, and in such a kfloor there is -no possibility of the loosening of individual tiles because they do noteXist. The inconvenience, danger and unsightliness so often found in tile Hoorings Where't'he tiles'areseparate l andare separately laid, iswholly avoided.

In the present invention vthe ooves may be formed, vand preferably are ormed, by a machine such las is 'shown and described in Letters kPatent No. 1,063,752, granted June 3, 1913, on an application filed by me on leven date herewith for a machine for `making imitation tile flooring, for by such a n iachine the impressions may be produced with vsuch accuracy that each succeedingD impression willgcontinue the preceding impression without break or distortion, and the appearance produced is equal or superiorto the appearance lof a'fioor made ofindividual tiles even when most carefully laid byn skilled workmen.

The method of the present invention may be practised without requiring any particular skill, and, therefore, Yunskilled and consequently cheapl labor maybe employed, which together with the cheapne'ss of the materials used and the expedition with vwhich the imitationtile ooring may be producedbrings thecost farbelow the cost of real tile iooring'and, furthermore, the time consumed in laying a oor is materially vless than that necessary when Hooring is A madeof individual-tues.

The particular form of the tile ligures' is not material except that they should be capable of repetition through the area to be ornamented. The entire area may be produced in one pattern, or in more than one pattern, and the ooring may be producedi in different colors where such ornamentation is desired, and while complexit of lornamentation will add somey additional vto the showing of the viewf of 'aA chine capab means may be employed, and while the drawings illustrate progressiye steps employed in the practice of the invention, the latter may be a'actised iii other ways so that it is not con ed to an I rawmgs. ldthefdrawingsP-Figure 1 is a plan e of carryin out the present 'invention and also showing a section of 'wf or pavement or the' like with a conventiol tile pattern alreadyl im= pre therein. Fig 2 is a section on the linea-2f of rig. i. rig; e nv Menotti view showing a stamp form in position strict conformity.

j aisance vin the impressionable surface! lFig;A d is a sectional view showin the application of the groove illing material to the already im- .l pressed surface. lF ig. 5 is -a sectional view showing the removal of surplus lling material. -Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the surface after the surplus material has been removed and the. surface has been yrubbed down smooth. Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are ywill be given of the machine shown in Figs. ,l and 2 for carrying out the method. The

machine comprises a main frame composed of sills 1 of suitable length joined at the ends by rods 2 each of which may be provided with a turn buckle 3, so that the sills can be placed in substantial parallelism. Each sill carries a track 4 and one of these .tracks is shown as provided with notches 5 for a purpose which will presently appear. dapted to the tracks 4 are wheels 6 on op- -posite ends of, trucks 7 there being two trucks firmly connected together by bars 8 in spaced parallel relation one to the other and at the ends connected to the trucks in such manner that the bars override a surface" extending ybetween the sills 1, which surface may be a Acement surface 9, at the borders of which the sills 1 are supported with the carrier madeup of the bars 8 and trucks 7l at a suitable distance above such surface andJniovable over the surface in the direction of the length of the sills because of the trucks 7. @ne truck 7 is shown as provided with a latch lever 10 adapted to the notches 5, sothat the truck may be moved definite distances along the tracks, the latch lever 10 engaging successive notches 5. Mounted on the carrier is a carriage having a frame 11 with wheels 12 at the ends adapted to tracks 13 on the facing edges of the bars 8,r so that the carriage is movable along the carrier in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of they carrier alongthe sills or main frame. One of the tracks 13 is shown as formed with spaced notches 14 and the carriage is .provided with a latch 15 connected by links 16 and 17 and an intermediate direction changing lever 18 to a manipulating lever 19 in convenient position to be reached by the operator.l The carriage 11 is provided with swivel members` 20 extending between the bars 8 and adapted to be turned into underriding relation to the bars or lengthwise of the latter, so that the carriage may be held to the carrier against accidental displacement therefrom, or may be readily removed from the carrier, as desired. Mounted in the frame 11 is a rod 21 which when the parts are in operative v spring 23 confined between one of the bearings and an adjustable collar 24 on the rod. The tendency of the spring 23 is to maintain the rod and parts carried thereby in an elevated position, but permitting the rod to v be moved downwardly, as desired. To actuate the rod there is provided aA hand lever 25 connected at one end to the frame 11 by a link 26, and at the other end provided with a manipulating handle 27. At an appropriate point the handle lever 25 is traversed by another rod 28 pivoted at one end to the frame 11 and at the other end extending through a suitable passage in the handle lever 25. The rod 28 carries spaced stop collars 29, so that the extent of movement of the lever 25 especially in a direction causing the downward movement of the rod 21 is readily controllable. The lower end of the rod 21 has a ball and socket connection 30 with a .frame 31 constituting a form designed to be impressed in thel surface 9. The form is a skeleton form having webs 32 tapering to an edge remote from the part of the frame connected to the rod 21, and the thin edges of the tapered webs are comparatively 'sharp, while the taper is such that on pressing these edges into the cement layer 9 grooves 33 of requisite width and depth are produced and when the impressing or stamping mold or form is raised there is no suction caused, since the walls of the form at once leave the cement surfaces, against which they rest, before the mold is lifted to any material extent. The form or mold 31 has its impressing or stamping edges simulating the outlines ofa small group of associated tiles', while the stamping edges of the mold or form are such as to. produce a groove of a width substantially the same as the width `of the cement filling commonly employed to unit the adjacent edges of associated tiles.

By the use of lthe machineshown in Figs. 1 and 2 such machine may be positioned with reference to the surface to b e'treated, so as to begin, say, in one corner thereof and then produce an impression by forcing the form or stamp down upon the cement surface while the same is' still soft or green enough to receive the. impression, then the stamp or form is raised, the carriage is moved along the carrier for a, distance de- .termined by the space between the notches 14, this distance conforming to the length of the stamp or form, so that on a second downward movement of the form it will produce a second impression joining the corresponding end of the impression already made, and this operation is successively repeated until the entire width of the surface '9 has produced therein a series of connected grooves 1 simulating tile forms. The carrier is then moved along the sills for a distance equal `to the space between adjacent notches 5,v

which space is agreeable to the width of thel form,- and then another row of impressions is made by the successive depressing of thex form with intermediate movings of the carriage in the reverse direction to that first stated, until the beginning side .of the surface 9 has been .reached when there will be found produced upon the cement surface a connected v-web of grooves double the width ofthe form .and extending entirely across the surface treated. The stamping is continued in the manner stated until the enti-re surface to be treated has had produced there.-

in a connected web of grooves lforming the outlines of a series of tile forms agreeable to the shapes outlined in the form, and practice has demonstrated tha-ta large surface may be very expeditiously gone over and an unbroken web of grooves formed throughout a large area in a comparatively shorttime by comparatively unskilled labor, the grooves being of even width throughout. Should it transpire that the surface to be impressed andthe plane of movement of the carriage are not strictly parallel, the form 31` may be readily adjusted by the ball and g5' socketjoint 30 into a suitable relation to the longitudinal axis of the rod 21, so that the impressing edge of the form will enter the impressionable surface perpendicular thereto, thus causing the web of grooves to be of even width throughout instead of varying in width as would be the case where the plane of travel of the carriage and thev surface impressed are not in parallelism.

In carrying out the process constituting the present invention the suitably prepared 'cement surface is firstA impressed over as for the next step in the processA whichconsists in. filling the web of grooves with a suit-y able material such as a cement composition of a consistency about that of ordinary paint, and this paint like cement composition -may be applied over the entire impressed surface with a brush. c

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the impressing step of the process is shown, while in Fig. 4 there is shown a layer 34 of the filling composition being applied by a brush 35, the filling operation continuing until all the grooves 33 l have become filled With the composition,

'es p and since the composition .is applied after the manner of'the application of paint by afpainter, the cement surface 9 is covered by the composition 34, as Well as the grooves v33 being filled thereby. Now the layer 34, which of course is comparatively thin, is removed, so far as possible from the surface 9 by a scraper 36 or in any other suitable manner, leaving the grooves 33 filled with the cement composition 34:, this step of the process being illustrated in Fig. 5. After the surplus cement composition used to fill the grooves has been removed so far as may be done Without removing any of the filling from the grooves 33, the filling material 34 is permitted to harden and any of such material still remaining upon the exposed surface of the cement layer 9 will also harden. rlhe cement composition 34 is made contrasting in color to the surface or layer 9 'since it is customary in laying tiles to use a cement contrasting in color With the exposed surfaces of the tiles to prominently outline the tiles, thereby producing an ornamental effect. After the filling has hardened the surface 9 is rubbed down by any suitable' means commonly employed for the purpose, but the most expeditious manner of rubbing down is to employ an electrically driven apparatus such as may be found upon the market. The rubbing down also eliminates any unevenness of surface which may remain after the final troweling of the cement surface 9 before the grooves are made therein and there then remains a smooth surface such as indicated in section in Fig. 6 and lin plan view in any one of Figs. 7, 8 and 9, so closely simulating real tiling that any 1nspection short of destroying the surface will not detect the fact that the tiling is not real but imitation. The entire flooring .so laid is an imitation tile flooring of monolithic or homogeneous character with no joints and Without the multitude of separate pieces found in what may be termed real tile fioor-` ing. Since the imitation tiled surface is homogeneous or monolithic there are, of course, no separate tiles to become loosened from the cement matrices embedding them and consequently repairs are not necessary and all danger to users of the flooring or pavement due to loosened tiles is obviated.

Practice has demonstrated that the tile flooring may be laid far more expeditiously and cheaply than real tile fiooring and that the surface ornamented by the imitation tiling has unlimited Wearin qualities, While the fact that the tiling is imitation and not real cannot be detected by even close observation on the part of persons not aware of the manner of production of the fiooring. W the invention has been described as nisaeoa t used in connection with a cement layer, or surface, it Will be understood that other materials of similar characteristics to cement may be used. Y

This application is a` continuation' of my application No. 502,502, filed June 16, 1909, for process of making cement tile for floors and the like, in so far as said learlier appli- L .cation contains subject-matter in common suitable cenent of the desired extended area,

then impressing a form corresponding to a circumscribed group of associated tile outlines into the surface of the cement While the latter is green, and immediately removing the form there-from and then rapidly repeating the impressions successively and progressively until the entire area has been treated before the cement has hardened sufiiciently to prevent impressing the form into it, whereby there is produced a continuous Web of connected grooves defining a multitude of associated tile outlines, then permitting the im ressed layer of cement to harden, theny lling the grooves so produced with contrasting material of like character to the cement layer, then permitting the filling material to harden, and finally smoothing the surface.

2. rlihe method of producing homogeneous or monolithic tile surfaces of extended area corresponding in appearance to surfaces of Mo like extended area formed of many individually laid tiles, which consists in producing a permanently located layer of cement of the desired extended area, thickness and character to provide the ultimate tile sur- M5 face, then While the cement layer is in a condition to receive and retain impressions, forming in said layer a continuous web of grooves substantially coextensive with the extended area and delineating a tile surface 12o of like extended area by successive and rogressive impressings of a suitable form mtoA the green cement surface, the form being immediately removed from the surface after each individual impression and the grooves 125 formed by each impression joining those of the preceding impression or impressions, then after the impressed cement has sufficiently hardened filling the web of grooves so produced with a Wet mix of 'contrasting lsothickness, then While the extended cement area is in a condition to receive and retain impressions, producing therein a web of grooves substantially coextensive with the extended area by impressing a pattern simulating the division lines between a circumscribed group of small, set, individual tiles,l

. to form a corresponding set of grooves in the cement layer, said pattern being immediatelyA Withdrawn from the cement layer after the impression, successively and progressively repeating the impressings into and immediate withdrawals of the pattern from the cement layer until the web of grooves so produced is continuous and coextensive with the vpermanent cement layer, the entire web of grooves being formed While the cement layer is still in the impressionable condition, then allowing, the impressed surface to set or harden, and then filling the grooves with cement of suitable appearances to simulate that ,employed to connect the adjacent edges of individually laid tiles. l

4. The method of producing homogeneous or monolithic tile surfaces, whichl consists in forming a permanent cement layer Where the tile surface is to be produced, said layer being of an extended area and suitable thickness, then while the cement layer is in a condition to receive and retain the ,impressions, producing therein a web of V- shaped grooves extending into the cement layer for but a small fractional portion of its thicknesshby impressing a suitably shaped pattern simulating the division lines between a circumscribed group of small, set,

individual tiles with the impressing portions of the pattern'V-shaped to form a corresponding set of grooves in the cement layer, said pattern being rapidly, successively and progressively impressed into and immediately Withdrawn from the cement layer until the web of groovesso produced is coextensive `withthe permanent cement layer and the entire web of` grooves is formed while the cement layer is in the impressionable condition, then. filling the grooves with a cement of suitable appearl ance to simulate that employed to connect the adjacent edges of individually laid tiles.

5. The method of producing homogeneous or monolithic tile surfaces, which consists in forming a permanent cement layer where the tile surface is to be produced, said layer being of an extended area and suitable thickness, then While the cement layer vis in a condition to receive vand retain the impressions, producing therein a web of V- shaped grooves extending into the cement layer for but a small fractional portion of its thickness, by impressing a suitably' shaped pattern simulating the division lines between a circumscribe'd group of small,

set, individual tiles with the impressing portions of the pattern V-shaped to form a corresponding set of grooves in the cement layer, said pattern being rapidly, successively and progressively impressed into and immediately withdrawn from the cement layer until the web of grooves so produced is coextensive with the permanent cement layer and the entire web of grooves is formed While'the vcement layer is still in the impressionable condition, then filling the grooves withv a cement of suitableappearance to simulate that employed to connect the adjacent edges of individually laid tiles, the filling of the grooves with cement being accomplished by applying a` layer of such cement in iowable conditlon over the entire impressed and hardened surface of the firstnamed cement layer, then scraping of the surplus of the second-,named'cement layer 

